New Challenge: Bollywood
This month's challenge offers songs, films, and tropes from Bollywood, the world's largest film industry based out of India, as prompts for fanworks.
SWG News
Cultus Dispatches: Fandom Chocolate … or Authors Love Comments
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data provides insight into how comments benefit authors and which authors are most impacted by a lack of comments, with a digression on authors' perspectives one-click feedback like kudos.
A Sense of History: Passing Ships
As Tolkien's characters in various texts gaze out to the sea, what do they see? What is brought by the ships coming out of the West?
Beta-Reader List Now Available
The beta-reader list and profiles have been moved into our new system and are available again.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] No Time Have I by Flora-lass
A Silmarillion acrostic.
[Writing] I called it Fate that I should fail by AdmirableMonster
Nimruzimir, a natural philosopher recently out of his apprenticeship, hardly considers himself very important to anyone, least of all his colleagues. When his strange, prophetic fits bring him to the attention of the High Priest, however, he may find that his existence is less superfluous than…
[Writing] All of you by chrissystriped
Elrond and Celebrían celebrate their anniversary with their family.
[Writing] Lament for the Singer by daughterofshadows
A short thing about Maglor, death and grieving.
[Writing] Cosmological Poems of Arda by AaronAzrael
I would like to share my revelations of Tolkien's Universe in the form of narrative and emotional poems.
[Writing] Eä's Redemption by AaronAzrael
This is my new poetical attempt to add my own interpretation to Tolkien's Cosmology as to Eru's Creation and the Valar's minds and behind-the-scene providence reasons and mechanisms.. I often review Eä as part of our own world, just in another dimension, this is why I have always seriously…
[Artwork] Map of Valinor by Aprilertuile
My newly drawn map of Aman, as complete as I could make it.
Current Challenge
Bollywood
Prompts this month are films, songs, and tropes from India's dazzling film industry, Bollywood. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Holiday Party
No matter if you're in the Northern or Southern hemisphere, it's a time of year to think about holidays. Whether you're bundling up in blankets or slipping a swimsuit into your suitcase, we invite you to an SWG holiday party! Read more ...
New in References
Fandom Chocolate … or Authors Love Comments by Dawn Walls-Thumma
[]Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data shows that authors view comments as driving their motivation to create fanfiction. However, perception of comments by authors is part of a larger shift in fandom around how and how often fans interact with each other.
Passing Ships by Simon J. Cook
[]The arrival and departure of ships across the Great Sea carries mythic significance for the peoples of Middle-earth. The image of ships crossing out of and back into a mysterious West appears as well in Beowulf and is alluded to in Tolkien's tower analogy in his lecture "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics," where the tower allows those who climb it to observe the passage of the ships.
Fanfiction and the Serious Business of Writer's Craft by Dawn Walls-Thumma
[]Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data shows that while most authors self-identify as taking their craft seriously, a growing subset of authors may be pushing that norm.
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Writing] Staging a Battle by StarSpray
[]He and Diamond were visiting, though Pippin had been disappearing every afternoon, and taking Frodo and Elanor and most other lads and lasses in the neighborhood with him—though why they couldn’t use Pippin’s own pony, Sam couldn’t imagine.
[Writing] From whose bourn no traveller returns by losselen
[]So gathered they were to Bree, what lieutenants who could be spared, from their scattered watches west and east, for their chieftain had returned from his long sojourn in lands godless and mountains strange.
Aragorn returns from the South to tells his tales. Halbarad listens.
[Writing] Sand Sorcery by StarSpray
[]It is well known that Psamathos does not leave his cove. He does not like to get his feet wet, and prefers to spend his days dozing under the sun.
Around the World and Web
Fellowship of the Fics: Summer Stories 2024
Fellowship of the Fics offers four weeks of summer-themed prompts during the month of July.
Elrond Week 2024
Elrond Week is a fandom event dedicated to Elrond Peredhel that will run from July 10th to July 16th on Tumblr.
July challenge at tolkienshortfanworks posted
The tolkienshortfanworks challenge for July has been posted to the Dreamwidth community. The thematic challenge is: original character or unnamed canon character; the formal challenge: fixed length of multiple of 50 words. New participants welcome.
July 2024 Call for Papers and Proposals
Conferences and publications that have open calls for papers and proposals in July 2024.
Teitho June/July Challenge: Mentor
The June/July prompt for the Teitho challenge is "mentor" and invites fanworks about this relationship in Tolkien's works.
The Kids Are All Right Outtakes by grey_gazania
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Henthael & Ianneth (Set after Chapter 3)
Henthael was in the washhouse, scrubbing at a stubborn stain on his favorite tunic, when Lady Ianneth set up shop beside him, a basket full of sheets in her arms.
“My lady,” he said, giving her a respectful nod – the best greeting he could manage when his hands were covered in soap. Technically, with Fingon dead, Ianneth no longer held the title of queen, but in Henthael’s head, he still thought of her that way. He may have had a dim view of Fingon, but that had never extended to the man’s wife, who was kind, a skilled healer, and one of the most sensible and level-headed people he’d ever met. True, she was no Noldo, but Indis had been no Noldo either; mingling of the Kindreds was bound to happen, and as any Noldorin smith would tell you, alloys were the stronger metals. Much like Indis, Ianneth had done as fine a job as queen as any Noldorin woman could have managed.
“Henthael,” Ianneth said, returning his nod, “hello. Are you keeping well?”
“As well as any of us, my lady. I’m dead sick of all this snow, but who isn’t?”
Ianneth hummed in agreement as she sorted out the pillowcases and submerged them in the water trough beside him. They worked in companionable silence for a while, and then Ianneth said, “So, you’re encouraging my daughter to go into politics.”
For a moment, Henthael stilled in his work, suddenly wondering if he’d misstepped in urging Ereiniel to take on a position of leadership. Perhaps Ianneth arriving here at the same time as him hadn’t been a coincidence. Perhaps Ianneth disagreed with his suggestion.
“Does she not have your blessing, my lady?” he asked quietly.
“Oh, she does,” said Ianneth. “I think her father would be proud of her, knowing that she’s looking to take on the responsibility. He always told her that she came from a line of kings, and that kings have a duty to care for their people. I’m just wondering – what made you suggest it? I know you’re fond of her, but she is rather young. She only came of age at the beginning of the year.”
Henthael didn’t answer right away, but continued scrubbing at his tunic, smelling the mint in the steaming water as he tried to formulate his thoughts. He knew why he supported Ereiniel, but he hadn’t told Ereiniel the whole truth when he’d urged her to think about her duties.
Still, with Ianneth, honesty would surely be the best policy.
“I didn’t tell her this, my lady,” he said, “but I’ll tell you. Fingolfin is dead. Fingon is dead. Turgon is king. And believe me, I wish Turgon no misfortune; long may he live and long may he reign. But given the state of things…I think there’s a good chance that he may not live all that long. After him, we have the lady Aredhel’s son – I can’t remember his name – but if he dies, the House of Finwë will have run out of men. At least, men who aren’t Dispossessed. And I don’t think any of us here want one of Fëanor’s sons on the throne.”
Abdicating on behalf of his entire bloodline had been the smartest thing Maedhros had ever done.
“We’ll need to look elsewhere for our leaders,” he continued. “We could do worse than Ereiniel. Yes, she’s young, but she cares, she works hard, and she’s got a good head on her shoulders. Rather like you, really. She inherited your common sense, which is probably one of the best things you could have given her. If Gondolin falls, I would put my trust in your daughter.”
Ianneth was silent, and she’d let the pillowcase rest unheeded in the water. “You have a lot of faith in her,” she said.
“I would have followed Fingolfin to the gates of Angband itself if he had asked me,” Henthael said, his voice soft and serious. “Ereiniel reminds me very much of him. You say you think Fingon would be proud of her. I think Fingolfin would be proud of her, too. He loved her dearly.”
“I suppose I should thank you, then, for your support.”
“Of course, my lady. She’ll have my support as long as she needs it.”
Because, Henthael thought, I know someone fit to be a king when I see them.
Chapter End Notes
Celebrimbor is up next!
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